After recording its first victory in nearly a month in a 1-0 win against Harvard University on Sunday afternoon, the Boston University women’s soccer team hopes to ride that momentum into its next game against Dartmouth College on Thursday night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in the friendly confines of Nickerson Field, where the Terriers are undefeated (3-0-0) and have scored five goals without conceding any to their opponents.
Dartmouth (3-3-0) comes to BU (3-4-2) in the midst of a two game losing streak with recent losses coming at the hands of the University of Oregon and Oregon State University at the Nike Oregon State Invitational. In those two losses, the Big Green have been outshot 14-31.
Don’t be fooled, however, by Dartmouth’s recent performances against these Pacific-10 Conference powerhouses. Before its recent two game slide, the Big Green defeated No. 12 West Virginia University 1-0, a team that the Terriers battled for 110 minutes to force a 0-0 draw back on Sept. 6.
‘We’re really excited that we have another shot at a team that has had good results,’ BU coach Nancy Feldman said when asked about playing Dartmouth. ‘You always want to be playing a team that’s won some really big games that you still have on your schedule. We’re really excited about this one, and we’re excited that we have them here.’
BU and Dartmouth fought to a 1-1 draw in 2008 in a game that needed an extra 20 minutes of overtime. Feldman described the game as a ‘knockout, drag-out fight.’
The Terriers offense showed some signs of life on Sunday with its first goal in 14 days. If BU is looking for its second win in as many games, it must rely on the play of sophomore Jessica Luscinski (2 goals, 1 assist), senior Farrell McClernon (2g), freshman Megan McGoldrick (1g, 2a), and senior and co-captain Emily Pallotta (1a) to create scoring opportunities.
The Terriers’ defense was aided on Sunday by the return of two-time America East Defender of the Year Casey Brown from an injury that kept her off the pitch for three games.
‘It gave us a lift because our organization in the back is back to what we are comfortable with,’ Feldman said. ‘[Brown] is our leader, and she is our rock.’
Senior goalkeeper Janie Reilly, in her 523 minutes in net, has saved 23 shots, posting a 0.54 goals against average. Her opponents have only scored three goals against her in eight games. Reilly recorded her first shutout of the season against Harvard University on Sunday.
‘Our goalkeeping this year, with both Janie and [freshman] Annie Tooley, has been a plus for us,’ Feldman said. ‘We hope that they continue being a plus for us because they’re going to help us win games.’
Dartmouth will rely on sophomore sensation Aly O’Dea to break down a Terriers defense that has allowed eight goals in nine games so far this season.’ O’Dea leads Dartmouth in goals (2),’ points (4), and shots (12).
In net for Dartmouth will be sophomore goalkeeper Colleen Hogan. Hogan has played in every minute (553:17 to be exact) of every game, allowing five goals while posting a 0.81 GAA. In Big Green’s three victories up to this point, Hogan has recorded shutouts in two of those wins.
With a strong performance against Dartmouth, BU sets itself up nicely for its first America East game on Sunday afternoon when Binghamton University comes to town.
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